Management system with information carriers for vehicle parking fees.

The present invention relates to a management system, for information carriers, the parking fee vehicles.

More specifically the invention relates to a system in which the motorist pays the parking fee using a magnetic card or an electronic memory card or the like, this card especially storing a balance which, from an initial value is decremented each time the card holder wants to leave his car parked.

In the case of stationary roadworks, the type of the most common pay parking management system is: the terminals are installed along the track to control each, several parking spaces. When a motorist wants to leave her parked vehicle, he introduced into the terminal an amount of money, either in the form of coins or using a prepaid card, which entitles it to a certain time authorized parking time limit corresponding authorized parking being displayed by the terminal. The terminal then delivers the motorist a ticket printed with various information including the time limit authorized parking. The driver must place the ticket behind the windscreen of his vehicle. The safety supervisor parking so simply comparing the time mentioned on the ticket at the present time whether the vehicle is in regular parking or not.

This type of parking management system for the user the advantage of being very clear since the allowed parking time limit appears distinctly on the ticket he received. Furthermore any verbalization will also be based on this information printed on the ticket. Such a system is very well accepted by users because it has the merit of transparency.

It is often difficult for a motorist to predict in advance how long the vehicle is actually being stabled. When introduced into the terminal the amount of the parking time he wishes, the driver may be underestimating the parking time needed, and then it will be a verbalization either overstating parking time it needs and it will make a payment too high relative to the actual parking time.

To eliminate this risk, and thus to encourage drivers to respect the rules of the parking fee was proposed paid parking management systems that allow the user to pay only for the actual parking time. These systems are based generally on bail decision, corresponding to the time of maximum permitted parking when the driver leaves his parked car, and return of the overpayment, if any, when the driver removes his vehicle of the paid parking location.

If this type of paid parking management systems fully satisfied motorists, it complicates the control of the regularity of the parking of vehicles. Indeed possible fraud is to recover an overpayment after collection of the deposit while leaving his parked vehicle. It is therefore necessary that the parking management sytem provides the attendant to not only monitor the time limit authorized parking information corresponding to the deposit taken but also information indicating possibly a motorist left his vehicle parking when in fact it improperly recovered an overpayment. To avoid this fraud it is necessary for the safety supervisor can identify valid guarantees. It is therefore necessary to directly or indirectly identify the parked vehicles. This can be done on the basis of an identification number associated with the payment card, a parking space number or vehicle registration number.

Such medium management system for vehicle parking information is for example described in EP-A-0 206 884. The latter comprises:<ul><li>a plurality of portable information carriers, each information carrier being held by a vehicle user and having at least one memory area for storing successive balances;</li><li>at least one parking terminal (200) for controlling a plurality of parking spaces, comprising: means (210, 212) for reading and writing information in the memory of said carrier; means for generating a predetermined amount of information when the user inserts an information carrier in the terminal to initialize a parking period; means for deriving a parking time limit information permitted based on a present time information and said predetermined amount; means (220) for generating a pseudo random number from the card identification number and an identification number of the parking terminal, means for storing in a memory of the terminal information sets formed at least by the information end time of authorized parking and said pseudo random number, printing means (216) for providing the user with a ticket (218) intended to be placed in evidence in the vehicle, said ticket (218) having said authorized parking limit time information and said pseudo random number; and security management means comprising means for, in response to the introduction of an information carrier to terminate parking, read the stored predetermined amount, means to construct an effective amount corresponding to the actual time parking, means to change the balance stored in the carrier to aue decreasing said balance is equal to said actual amount; and means for erasing the memory of the terminal sets of information formed at least by information from end time of authorized parking and said pseudo random number; and,</li><li>control means (14,102) available to the official responsible for monitoring the parking to access said information sets.</li></ul> However, these systems are more complex and may lead to errors in the control of the parking fee.

An object of the invention to provide a pay parking management system that uses cards tickets to be placed behind the windshield of the vehicle to maintain the advantage of transparency to the user and which, moreover, authorizes it to do pay for parking than for its actual length while providing the safety supervisor any means to verify the regularity of the parking of vehicles.

This object is achieved according to the invention, thanks to a parking management system comprising:<ul><li>a plurality of portable information carriers, each information carrier being held by a vehicle user and having at least one memory area for storing successive balances;</li><li>at least one parking terminal for controlling a plurality of parking spaces, comprising: means for reading and writing information in the memory of said support; means for generating a predetermined amount of information when the user inserts an information carrier in the terminal to initialize a parking period; means for deriving a parking time limit information authorized according to a present time information and said predetermined amount; means for generating information of rank of said operation; printing means for supplying the user with a ticket intended to be placed in evidence in the vehicle, the said ticket including the said authorized parking time limit information and said rank information; and security management means comprising means for, in response to the introduction of an information carrier to terminate parking, read the stored predetermined amount, means to construct an effective amount corresponding to the actual time parking, means to change the balance stored in the support for the reduction of the said balance is equal to said actual amount; means for reading the rank information; and means for storing in a memory of the terminal sets of information formed at least by said rank information and time information of the end of authorized parking; and,</li><li>the means of control available to the official responsible for monitoring the parking to access said information sets.</li></ul>

In any case the invention will be better understood on reading the following description of several embodiments of the invention given as non-limiting examples. The description refers to the single accompanying figure which shows an embodiment of the parking management system according to the invention.

Before describing in detail several embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter the principle. Payment is made using a magnetic stripe card or a prepaid electronic memory card.

Payment can also be made using a bank card with a memory area of ​​the type electronic wallet or a specific area of ​​memory to store credit issued at the end of parking.

When the driver wants to initiate a parking period he inserts his card in the parking terminal. A predetermined amount or deposit amount is produced by the terminal. This amount is preferably at the maximum authorized parking. This amount depends on the maximum term and hourly rates in effect. This amount constitutes a "caution" which is actually subtracted from the balance available in the card, or simply stored in the card or in the terminal without the balance is changed. Simultaneously developing a terminal row number or deposit of debit order. From the predetermined amount and the time at which the card is inserted into the terminal an authorized parking time limit is calculated. The terminal is equipped with a printer that delivers the user with a ticket, besides the indication of the year and the day, time limit of authorized parking, terminal number, rank deposit-taking and the amount of the deposit collected. This ticket is then placed behind the vehicle windshield. During this first introduction of the card into the terminal two different main processes can be implemented: the amount of the deposit is deducted from the available balance on the card, and the information on the amount of the deposit to the level of decision deposit and the amount of the deposit is also stored; the amount of the deposit, the rank of the deposit-taking and the number of the terminal are stored on the card and / or in the terminal, but the amount of the deposit is not deducted from the balance available in the card. When the driver wants to resume his vehicle two situations: either the time allowed parking limit is not reached and the driver will be able to recover the overpayment at the authorized parking limit time is reached and motorist merely repeats his vehicle without going through the parking terminal. In the first case considered the motorist must reintroduce his card into the terminal to receive the payment according to the actual parking time. According to the first embodiment of the terminal calculates the difference between the actual time and parking termination time limit of authorized parking. This time is converted into a corresponding amount and the balance stored in the card is increased by this amount. Simultaneously the deposit withdrawal rank information and deposit amount may possibly be erased from the card and the deposit withdrawal time is stored in the card. In addition, the terminal stores the rank of deposit taking, the terminal number and time of withdrawal of the deposit. According to the second embodiment of the terminal calculates the actual parking time and the corresponding amount. This amount is deducted from the balance available in the card. The same information as in the first embodiment of the invention are stored on the card and / or in the terminal. Simultaneously the same information as in the first implementation mode of the invention are stored in the card or in the terminal.

As is easily seen in the first embodiment involves a large number of changes to the information stored in the card in particular as regards the successive balances. Such an implementation mode is well suited in case the cards are magnetic stripe. In the second embodiment the stored information are fewer. It therefore fits well in case the card is the electronic memory type (eg the EPROM memories). Whatever the implementation mode in question, at the first insertion of the card, the user receives a ticket bearing the time limit information of authorized parking, the terminal number (if more than one) and deposit-taking rank number. If the motorist got his bail in all cases, the terminal memory contains the rank of the deposit made, the number of the relevant terminal, and the end time of parking, that is to say, time refund of the overpayment.

The parking control by the operator is preferably as follows. Before making his rounds it loads into the memory of a portable terminal sets of information stored in a terminal constituted by the rank of deposit taking, the deposit-taking terminal number and end time parking (refund). During his round attendant checks first, conventionally, the authorized parking hours limits printed on the tickets. If the time limit is exceeded, the vehicle is in violation and the officer verbalise. If the time limit is not exceeded, the officer must ensure that the driver has not recovered unduly overpaid while leaving his parked vehicle. For that it falls on the ticket the rank of taking deposit and the terminal number. If this couple of information is not in the memory of the terminal, there is a presumption that the deposit was not included and the officer does not verbalize. If this couple information appears in the device memory is that the motorist knowingly defrauded recovering bail without removing the vehicle from the parking space. It is possible that a motorist makes a refund of deposit to another terminal than where he inserts his card initially. If the motorist defrauded this situation will be detected when the officer in charge in the terminal information in the terminal where the deposit of fraudulent withdrawal was made, the latter being necessarily similar to that which took place the first introduction.

Returning to the second embodiment of the invention, it was noted that the deposit is not deducted from the card balance but is simply stored in the card. If the driver does not re-introduced his card into the terminal at the end of parking his vehicle, the balance stored in the card therefore not be deducted from the deposit. The removal of this deposit will be made when the motorist will introduce his card into a terminal for a new parking period because the amount of the deposit to be taken is stored in the card is stored in the terminal. It is important to note that, as regards the control of deposit withdrawal, it is based on the detection of fraud and not the verification of a lawful situation. Specifically the detection of a possible deposit of fraudulent withdrawal is based on the list of deposit withdrawals stored in the terminal.

Therefore, in case of failure of the operation of the terminal, the only risk is that a deposit withdrawal is not stored, a situation whose only consequence is that offending motorist will not be verbalized.

Referring now to the single figure, is described in the first embodiment of the invention. The system generally comprises a plurality of parking terminals such as 10. The housing 12 of the terminal 10 includes essenbtiellement on its front surface a display device 14, a slot 16 for introduction of magnetic cards 18 or electronic memory and a slot 20 Release parking ticket 22. the interior of housing 12 includes a number of circuits and components. It comprises a microprocessor 24 which is connected to the control circuit 26 of the display 14. The microprocessor 24 is further connected to the control circuit 28 of the device 30 to read / write in the card 18 when the latter is inserted into the slot 16. in the example described the card 18 is of the two magnetic tracks 32 and 34. It might as well be an electronic memory card or a magnetic card to a single track. There is also a printer 36 controlled by the microprocessor 24 and issuing tickets 22 through the slot 20. The microprocessor 24 receives a present time information output from the clock circuit 38. The microprocessor 24 is further connected to a generator of 40 consecutive numbers forming the deposit-taking ranks. It is, for example, reset to zero each day. The microprocessor 24 is also associated with a program memory and data 42 which is preferably PROM. This memory 42 contains, firstly necessary programs running of sequences which will be described later and on the other hand particular data tables for converting information of time and duration amounts of parking charges. Finally there is a volatile memory 44 for storing information sets as will be explained later.

The management system also includes a mobile terminal 50 placed at the disposal of the safety supervisor. On its front the terminal includes a keyboard 52 and a display 54. The circuits of the terminal 50 comprennnent essentially a microprocessor 56 associated with a program memory 58 which is for example of the ROM type. The microprocessor 56 is connected to the control circuit 60 of the display 54 and the control circuit 62 and decoding key 52. ​​Furthermore, the terminal 50 comprises a random access memory (RAM type) 64. Means 66 and 68 are provided on the terminal and on the housing 12 of the terminal 10 to enable the transfer of information in the memory 44 of the terminal 64 to the memory of the terminal. These means may be wired. They may also consist of a transceiver of coded infrared beam.

We will now explain the operation of the management system, according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. For purposes of the following description it is assumed that the motorist who wants to leave her parked vehicle has a 18 card that has not been used. The magnetic stripe 32 contains SO balance information corresponding to the initial prepayment made by the driver. This inserts the card 18 into the slot 16 of the reader 30. The microprocessor 24 controls the reading of 50 balance stored in the card. Simultaneously, from the present weather information delivered by the circuit 38 and the tables in the memory 42, the microprocessor calculates the hour parking limit authorized by adding the maximum parking duration allowed information this time and the amount hereinafter bail. The microprocessor controls the time display parking limit authorized by the display 14. When the driver has validated this information, the following sequences occur: the generator 40 outputs information of rank of transaction that is e.g. rank deposit taken since the beginning of the day; the microprocessor 24 controls the read-write circuit 30 to cut off the initial balance S_O C the amount of the deposit to give a new balance S'₁ further circuit 30 registered runway 34 the amount of the bond C, the time limit of authorized parking, parking the terminal number, 'rank information and the tariff used. No information is stored in the terminal. The microprocessor 24 also controls the printer 36 to issue a ticket 22 that the motorist must move behind the windshield of his vehicle. The ticket 22 includes the usual H statements consisting in the year, month, day and time limit of authorized parking. It further comprises clear, the information L of rank of transaction, the deposit amount information C and information of parking N terminal number. The amount of the bond C may be variable if the maximum parking duration is fixed and that the hourly rate is variable. The amount of bail C can also be likened to a variable amount if the parking terminal allows the following function: if the available balance on the card is less than the normal amount of security C, the terminal will consider the available balance C 'amount as a deposit. In both cases it is obviously essential that the amount of C or C 'surety is stored in the card. However, if the C bond is a fixed amount, C does not need to be memorized.

When the driver wants to remove his vehicle from the parking space, it must first if he wants to receive a refund of the overpayment, introduced the card 18 into the reader 30 of the terminal 10 where he first introduced his card or in the drive of a nearby terminal. After insertion of the card 18, the microprocessor controls the reading of information L, C, N stored on the track 34 of the card. Microprocessor 24, from information H and this time informaiton issued by the circuit 38, calculates the parking time not used and the corresponding amount A. It then modifies, via the reader 30, the stored balance on runway 32 by adding to the previous balance amount S'₁ R repaying giving the new S₁ balance. Simultaneously the player registered 30 on the track 34 of the card, the time of deposit withdrawal and the machine where the number withdrawal was made. Preferably the input information is also stored. Finally microprocessor 24 controls the writing into the memory 44 of a set of data consisting of information The rank of deposit, number N of the deposit-taking machine and hour parking limit for the amount actually paid. The memory 44 and contains a plurality of sets of information each consisting of the rank information L and N terminal number of deposit-taking. This shows that in the memory 44 of each terminal there are parking for each withdrawal deposit a couple of information consisting of N number of terminal and rank L deposit taking. However, if the driver does not re-introduced his card to get some of his bail, no information relating to parking is not stored. Furthermore, when the driver re-introduced his card to recover the overpayment, the microprocessor 24 also controls the printer 36 so that it delivers to the user a payment receipt which shall include the amount of the tax collected that is to say C - R.

In a variant of this first embodiment of the invention, the card includes, in addition to a memory area balances, credit memory area. When first introducing the card at the beginning of a parking period S₀ the available balance is reduced by the amount of the deposit which C gives new S₁ balance and credit memory is zero. It also stores the card into the terminal end time parking, the amount, the deposit number and PIN number. Some of the information is not strictly necessary for the operation of the system, but they are useful to be confronted with the details on the ticket in case of disputes by the user. During the second insertion of the card by the user to recover the overpayment, if this is the case, the balance S1, is not changed, but the credit memory is loaded to the R value corresponding to the amount return. In a new introduction of the card to a new era of parking, S₁ balance is modified to remove the new C bond and to add value R stored in the credit memory which gives a new balance S₂, and memory credit is reset. In case the card can be used to make other payments for parking, drive the relevant machine S₁ reduces the balance of the amount P and R adds the amount stored in the credit memory and it is given to zero. The advantage of this variant is that the balance in the main memory of the card can only decrease.

When the safety supervisor wants to carry out a check, it proceeds as follows: 10 in front of a terminal load it in the memory 64 of the terminal 50 sets all information contained in the memory 44 of the terminal, then it starts his round. For each parked vehicle checks that the time limit allowed parking H printed on the ticket has not expired. If this is the case it must check that the driver has not withdrawn unduly bail. For this, he entered the keyboard 52, rank information L and N terminal number printed on the ticket 22. The microprocessor 56 of the terminal 50 compares this information pair to the list of pairs of information stored in the memory 64. If the couple entered the information terminal in this list is that the car owner has withdrawn his deposit without unduly removing the vehicle from the parking space. It is therefore deliberate fraud. The display 54 of the terminal informs the attendant that. If the couple information not included in the list stored there is a presumption of non-withdrawal of bail and the officer does not verbalize. It is possible that the driver is made a withdrawal of bail to another terminal. This will be detected lorque the officer in charge their device the memory contents of the data terminal. However the possibility for the user to remove the excess in another terminal than where he introduced his first card is limited to the terminals close to those where he performed the first operation. To implement this restriction each terminal has in its memory 42 not only its own terminal number but also the numbers of a limited number of terminals considered close. In this mode of implementation, at the first insertion of the card number of the terminal and terminal numbers "close" are stored in the card. When the user re-introduced his card in another terminal to catch his bail, the card reader reads all terminal numbers stored in the card. If the number of the terminal which takes place the second insertion is not in the list stored in the card, the card is rejected, and the user has to go to another terminal actually considered close.

Alternatively it is possible to implement the system without using a portable terminal 50. In this case, it passes a terminal parking control officer on special ticket printing of the list of sets of content information in the memory 44 of the terminal. It then uses this printout to service any fraudulent withdrawals of deposits by direct comparison between couples information from the list and the information printed on the ticket torque.

In a second embodiment of the invention the amount of the bond C is not deducted from the balance on the card 18 in the initial introduction of the card, but it is simply stored in the card, changing balance intervening only when the motorist reintroduced his card to pay the fee for the actual parking time.

If the motorist does not reintroduce his card at the end of the parking lot, the amount C of the deposit is deducted from the available balance in the subsequent use of the card.

Referring to the single figure will be described in this second embodiment.

To initiate a parking period, the driver inserts his card into the reader 16, 30 of the terminal 10. The drive 30, under microprocessor control 24, reads information from the memory card 18. If among these information it appears information C bond, the microprocessor 24 controls the decrement balance of available information by an amount equal to C and erasing of information security. Then, for the new parking operation, the microprocessor 24 controls the progress of the operations already described in connection with the first implementation mode. The only difference lies in the fact that the bond C suitable parking for this new operation is not subtracted from the available balance but it is stored in a specific area of ​​the memory card. When the driver wants to remove his vehicle from the parking space and recover the equivalent of "overpayment", it must introduce again his card into the reader of the terminal or an adjacent terminal. The reader reads the information in the memory of the card. It notes that the authorized parking time limit is not yet reached. It determines the actual parking time, and calculates the corresponding amount. This amount is deducted from the available balance previously stored in the card, and the amount of the deposit is cleared. As in the first mode of implementation, when removing the deposit, the microprocessor controls the writing into the memory 44 rank information L to N terminal number and deposit withdrawal time. Control of the validity of the parking is like in the case of the first implementation mode of the invention. Also when the information is stored in the terminal, the card must have an identification number. This number is stored in the memory 44 of the terminal together with the other information.

In this second embodiment of the invention it is possible to use the embodiment already described in connection with the first implementation mode. According to this alternative transactions, when first inserting the card, do not change. In other words the balance S_O is not changed and the amount C of the deposit is stored in a specific area of ​​memory, and the memory credit is zero.

During the second insertion of the card at the end of the parking period, the balance available S_O is reduced by the amount of the bond, and the overpayment R is loaded into the credit memory. Simultaneously, the amount of the bond C is deleted from the specific area of ​​memory.

Most often the paid parking regulations prohibits a driver who has already left his car parked at a location for the maximum duration allowed, to pay a new tax to again leave his vehicle parked in the same location. According to an alternative embodiment of the parking management system, parking terminals can achieve this ban. During a first card insertion to initiate a parking period the microprocessor 24 reads the terminal via the reader 30, the information in the card and in particular the deadline of previous actual parking, if there has been resumption of deposit, or the time limit allowed parking previous, otherwise. For the implementation of a sub program stored in the memory 42, the microprocessor 24 compares the time information read from the card 18 at this time of the information delivered by the clock cirvuit 38. If the difference between these two time information is smaller than a predetermined threshold, for example a quarter of an hour, and if more the terminal number read from the card is identical to the one terminal where the gate has place the new insertion, the microprocessor 24 rejects map and controls the card reader 30 so that it restores the user.

According to embodiments described above map is used, in addition to storing successive balances, store information for managing the removal of the deposit and refund the overpayment. Paerticulier in case the parking control is performed using a single terminal (for a book in parking) or if the various terminals are connected together (see for example French patent 2.584. 515) that is to say if any information inserted into a terminal is transmitted to other terminals, it is possible to store the information of senior deposit taking, bail amount of time limit parking allowed in the memory of the terminal and not in that of the card. The user identification is then stored by an identification number permanently in the card.